TRANSPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY

NEWS SHEET 194

SEPTEMBER 2018

FORTHCOMING L.T.H.S. MEETINGS & EVENTS OBITUARIES Meetings at Leeds Civic Hall, LS1 1UR, (Portland As many members will be aware, LTHS founder Crescent entrance), 1845 for 1900. member Keith Terry MBE, whose poor health we ** N.B. The October meeting will be held at the Leeds reported in the last issue, passed away on 19 July at Postal Sports Association Club, Beecroft Street, St. James’s Hospital. Over 100 friends and relatives , LS5 3AS, 1915 for 1930 start. attended his funeral at Crematorium and Mon. 10 Sep. Continental Tramway Films from afterwards at Hall on Thursday 9 August. the 1970's & 80's Malcolm Hindes Mel Reuben takes up the story. Sat. 22 Sep. Blackpool Gold Heritage visit “On behalf the Family and Executors, I would like to Mon. 8 Oct** 125 Years of the Manx Electric thank all those LTHS members who attended Keith’s Railway** Tony Wilson funeral service and wake in his adopted . Mon. 12 Nov. Tramways Paul Abell Although born in Burnley on 22 April 1930, Alfred Keith Mon. 12 Dec. Iberian Tramways Mel Reuben Dyson Terry moved with his family to Leeds in 1941. There have been many obituary tributes in various OTHER LOCAL MEETINGS & COMING EVENTS organisations’ newsletters, so I will not dwell too long September on this subject. Tue. 11 (MRT) Middleton Then and Now Over the last few years Keith wasn't in the best of (Note changed date) Ian Smith health and he missed travelling down the M1 to his Tue. 18 (LRTA) Tramways of RomaniaIan Dougill favourite destination, Crich Tramway Village. Despite October his failing health problems he always had a twinkle in Tue. 2 (MRT) Slides from the Brian Crowther his eyes when ever Crich was mentioned in Collection Malcolm Hindes conversation. Thu. 4 (NGRS) Isle of Man Ray Wilkinson Sadly he stopped coming to LTHS meetings as he was Sun.14 (AVTG) Yorkshire Dales Vintage Bus & worried about encountering some of the unsavoury Coach Day, Skipton Bus Station, characters when walking to our former meeting 1030-1700, free vintage bus rides. location in Richmond Hill. See Aire Valley Transport Group In Keith's memory a Memorial Service will be held at website for details Crich on Sunday 7th October. Starting at 2.30 p.m. Tue. 16 (LRTA) American Trams Vic Simons from the Red Lion, two Leeds trams will leave on the Sat. 27 (SLS) Collectors’ Fair Civic Hall last ever world-famous "Terry Tour" to Glory Mine and Sat-Sun. 27-8 Leeds Model Railway Society then to Wakebridge where his ashes will be scattered Exhibition GSAL, Gates around his favourite Crich location, the service being N.B. LTHS Sales Stand conducted by Rev. Derek Lambella and Chaplain Roger November Culverhouse; also a bench will be unveiled and Tue. 6 (MRT) Deltic Powered Nigel Paine dedicated to Keith's Memory. Tue. 20 (LRTA) UK Trams Ian Dougill The trams will then return to the Red Lion, where December afternoon tea will be served in the Poulson Room. Tue. 4 (MRT) Christmas Quiz Team Dobson Those wishing to attend the service and afternoon tea Tue. 18 (LRTA) Why Did UK Trams disappear? please inform Mel Reuben or Jim Soper by late Paul Abell September so that numbers for catering can be passed on to the Crich catering department”. Groups, Regular Meeting Places & Times MRT Middleton Railway Trust, The Engine House, Also in the last News Sheet we reported the passing of Moor Road, , 1930. No charge, Margaret Donald, wife of our late and long-serving refreshments on sale in the interval. Honorary Secretary, Bernard. Margaret died on 28 May LRTA Light Rail Transit Association. Committee at the age of 86. Room No. 3, Civic Hall, 1900. collection £1. Jim Soper writes: NGRS Narrow Gauge Railway Society, Yorkshire “Like Bernard, Margaret was a cheerful and kind Area, The Epicentre, Valley Urban person and Bernard’s trips to Scotland in the late Farm, LS7 2QG, 7.15 for 7.30. Collection £2. ‘sixties to see her after working on “double cab” (i.e. Refreshments on sale beforehand 50p. LCT Rail Derrick 2) are well remembered by LTHS SLS Samuel Ledgard Society. Barry Rennison, members. 0113 236 3695, [email protected] We send our condolences to their children Christine, See announcement for venue. Thelma and Ian and families in their sad loss”. ON THE MOVE AGAIN? M.H. BLACKPOOL VISIT, 22 September Following the abrupt closure of the former Yorkshire John Holmes Rider Club in February, we were extremely fortunate to Our trip this autumn is on Saturday 22 September to obtain use of a Committee Room at Leeds Civic Hall for the “133rd Anniversary Gold Event Weekend” at our monthly LTHS meetings. Blackpool. There will be numerous heritage trams However this has proved to be far from ideal. Mondays operating, also: are very busy there, with extended Council meetings, • Starr Gate and Rigby Road Depots open to Union and other meetings often causing the car park people who pre-book tickets (see below). to be full or our room to be unavailable until the last • Heritage tram service between Starr Gate and minute. In addition, the need to start the meeting Fleetwood. earlier in order to meet the 9.00 p.m. deadline has • Heritage bus service along the inland disused been a deterrent to members who have to travel tram routes. through the city centre rush hour traffic. • Visit the extension route to Blackpool North Your Committee has looked at a number of possible Station. alternatives, including changing the night or booking • Official Souvenir Shop. accommodation where we might have to ask for an • Blackpool Illuminations in the evening increased donation to cover room charges. Our Travel to Blackpool Secretary has prepared a questionnaire (appended to We planned to get Northern trains from Leeds to this News Sheet) so you can express your opinions. Blackpool. However a rail strike has been called for this As a one-off experiment, the October meeting will be date so we recommend car sharing, which can be held at the Leeds Postal Sports Association Club at discussed at the September meeting. Also National Kirkstall, reverting to the previous times of 7.15 p.m. Express bus route 351 may be found suitable, for 7.30 start so as to finish by 10.00. You will also find departing Leeds 0800. a map attached showing the location of the club, which Should the strike be called off, we will aim for the 0851 is accessed from Beecroft Street, alongside the former from Leeds City Station (0900 from New Pudsey - Kirkstall Liberal Club. Post code is LS5 3AS. anyone wanting park & ride is recommended to use There is ample free parking both outside the club itself New Pudsey, which has plenty car parking space on a and in the adjoining Harvard Mills car park. There are Saturday). Arrive at Preston 1038, change for a bus stops nearby served by no less than six routes and Blackpool South train at 1054, arriving at Pleasure Railway Station is a 5-minute walk away. Beach at 1130. The journey home is flexible but the Access from the Kirkstall Lane bus stops is up the steps last train from Blackpool is at 2117 arriving New to the Harvard Mills car park then turn right and down Pudsey 2324, Leeds 2337. the steps in the corner to the club. If this venue proves Costs suitable we may transfer subsequent meetings there. Heritage Day Ticket (Valid on Heritage Trams, Modern Your response to the questionnaire direct to John or at Trams, Service Buses & Heritage Buses and the October meeting will help us provide the best Illuminations Tour) £11.00. meeting venue. Concession Ticket (English Senior Citizen / Disabled - valid only on Heritage Trams & Buses) £8.50. (Not SUBSCRIPTIONS RENEWAL Tony Cowell recommended unless you only want to ride on the The yearly £10.00 membership subscription became heritage vehicles). due from all members on the 1st September. Depot Tour Ticket (Valid for the guided depot tours If you require a receipt by return, please enclose a and including a Heritage Day Ticket) £20.00. This has stamped addressed envelope, otherwise a receipt will to be pre-booked with Blackpool Transport Services on be sent out via the News Sheet. The postal address is: 01253 209521 (have debit/credit card handy) A.Cowell, 3 Windmill Rise, Aberford, LEEDS, LS25 3EW. The Off-Peak Day Return Train Fare from Leeds to Alternatively, electronic acknowledgement can be sent Blackpool via Burnley is £23.50 (with a Railcard about via an Email. £15.50). New Pudsey fare is £20.40 (with Railcard It is now possible for us to claim Gift Aid, collectively about £13.45). There are cheaper fares if you book on all small donations of £20.00 or less. This increases Advance Tickets, but these are valid for one specified the value of your membership at no cost to yourself train only in each direction which will not give any (provided, of course, you are a taxpayer!). flexibility for the journey home. I would like to thank the members who have already Any questions, do not hesitate to ring John Holmes on renewed without any reminder. (0113) 258 0767.

DATA PROTECTION FORM REMINDER SALES STANDS - LEEDS MODEL RAILWAY John Holmes EXHIBITION and S.L.S. COLLECTORS’ FAIR Can I remind half of our members that we have not As mentioned already, we have a Sales Stand booked yet received their “Data Protection Form” back? at the Leeds Model Railway Society’s Annual Exhibition, Under the new law, we are not supposed to contact 27-8 October at the Grammar School for Leeds, you, or even send you the News Sheet unless we have Alwoodley Gates. The Saturday coincides with the your consent. Samuel Ledgard Society’s Collectors’ Fair at Pudsey As September is the start of our new season the form Civic Hall and we would like to be able attend both. can be returned with your annual subscription. I will Our Sales Manager, Stephen Longthorpe, would have spare forms available at the September meeting. welcome help with setting up and manning both stalls (Alwoodley Friday evening, Pudsey Saturday morning). The Pudsey fair is open 10.00-16.00 Saturday, setting PUZZLE PICTURES up from 08 00. No fresh puzzle pictures this issue, but June’s teasers The Model Railway Exhibition will be open from 10.00 brought a mixed reception. Quite a few people until 17.30 Saturday, 10.00-16.30 Sunday, and as successfully identified the first, showing a Ledgard bus usual staff admission will be by a limited number of in a location which has changed quite a bit since. passes. Meals and light refreshments will be available It was certainly no problem to Chris Youhill (“Chris in the school refectory at very reasonable prices. Blue-Bus”) who writes: If you can help, please contact Stephen - telephone (0113) 305 0576 or 07493 745 027. Please do not just turn up unannounced as you will have to pay to get in!

THE JUNE QUIZ - Answers John Holmes All the clues were for systems or destinations that have or had trams. The red letter in each place gave the anagram of another place. PADIHAM RAWTENSTALL KEIGHLEY SHIPLEY BARROWFORD MEADOWHALL LLANDUDNO CROYDON GATESHEAD HUDDERSFIELD FLEETWOOD WOLVERHAMPTON “I feel a bit of a cheat, being an ex Ledgard man, but I do know all about this picture. The RT is inbound on The Place - OSWALDTWISTLE the Leeds - Hawksworth Road - route and has left the terminus at Broadgate Lane/Stanhope NOW FOR THE AUTUMN QUIZ Drive, travelled up Broadgate Lane and then turned All are towns or suburbs which have had trams. right along Long Row and in the picture has just turned 1. Large brewing town in the Midlands into Station Road. The original "Old Ball" is visible not - - many yards from where the new one has been 2. Herbert Asquith (PM) was born here built. The road in the background, with shop and cars, is St. Margaret's Road”. 3. The most easterly railway station in England The first of Robin Oldfield’s recent tram relic photos - 4. Cricket Test matches played here a stump of rail - stumped everybody (sorry). It is a poignant reminder of the many Leeds trams which, like 5. You may be sent here, if you are in bad books itself, succumbed to the infamous “gas axe” nearby, being the remnant of a fence post on Lowfields Road, 6. Large lamb chops named after here adjacent to the site of the former permanent way yard which became the last resting place for so many fine vehicles. 7. A shade of green 8. A flying boat named after this city

9. Where they hanged a monkey

10. A currant cake is named after here 11. It was said to have treacle mines 12. The “Tigers” are from here

13. Town with a crooked spire

14. Britannia is moored here 15. Had a railway station called Bank Top

16. The fruit cake is named after here 17. Cooking apple may be named after here Several members identified (guessed?) The location of 18. Fisherman’s Friend made here Robin’s second photograph (see next page). It is a remnant of the Templenewsam route, situated 19. This inland town has a pier alongside Temple Newsam Road by the south west 20. Fred Dibnah was from here corner of the sports arena. Reports of any more residual tram rails are always Answers in the next issue. welcome. next day the building was displaying its being “part of the National Bus Company” with “East Yorkshire” in chunky lettering, NBC arrowhead logo and the aforementioned slogan in small letters under the fleet name. Upon then the indigo buses gradually became red, then maroon and finally (mostly) cream. Following privatisation the arrowhead and slogan vanished but the chunky lettering remained.

CHARLIE’S COLUMN Charlie Watson

The Way of all flesh The recent news that some of the West Midlands Metro T69 cars have been despatched to Booth’s scrapyard in Rotherham is - for me - quite sad. Now this is all in the past as Hornsea garage closed on Although they were not an May 5th. I couldn’t be there as work prevented this, but outstanding example of how to on May 3rd I was in Hornsea at 6 a.m. to film the build a modern tramcar, they morning run-out of the buses and I felt sad I would worked hard for over 20 years never see this again. The unthinkable was happening and gave Midlanders a good before my eyes and I could do nothing to prevent it. service. Their saloon steps and All I could do was record the final allocation. Cliff Road staggered seating took some will never be the same again. getting used to and they As usual, I’ve been on my hols to that little lump of weren’t very wheelchair rock that sits in the Irish Sea. Last year I only noted friendly, but they had one bus in EYMS-style livery - No. 160 (Ramsey Depot) comfortable seats and gave a but this year 160 (Douglas Depot) was now in the good ride. In later years they metallic grey livery. reminded me of Snaefell cars as I mentioned this to an Inspector who told me that the they always seemed to pull official name of the livery is not “metallic grey” or themselves apart on a curve! “silver” but “platinum”. I told him I didn’t care, it still Now the end is in sight, and this poses a problem - is looked nasty and cheap. Worse was to come, because one going to be preserved? for years I’ve been advocating that either Snaefell 2 or We stand a real risk of losing our first generation “new 4 should display the green livery of the 1960's. Finally trams” unless something is done. Because of their SMR 4 has appeared in the said colour but it looks construction, they are longer than the “old trams” so nothing like original. It is basically in MER livery but they need a lot more space. This rules out Crich, but green in place of red with white edging on the green the Black Country Museum at Dudley has space, or panels and it looks too bad to be described (even what about West Midlands Metro itself? worse, MER 21 which was green last year is in red and Time will tell, but I won’t be going near Booth’s for brown now). some time . . . . SMR 2 has been repainted in red but obviously no-one Not only are familiar vehicles disappearing but also on the SMR can provide scumble as the grained panels garages. The recent decision of East Yorkshire to close have scumble effect plastic on them! It looks like Hornsea garage has not been popular with the folk of something from a well-known children’s TV Hornsea or with enthusiasts. programme. Many years ago, “when I were a lad”, I remember Sorry if I have vented my spleen too much in this going past the garage and seeing workmen removing column. The next one will be more fun for you to read the gold “EAST YORKSHIRE” lettering from the building. The - and for me to write!

Published by Leeds Transport Historical Society (a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Registered No. 1160446) Committee & Trustees: Ian M. Dougill (Chairman); Malcolm Hindes (Vice-Chairman); Tony Cowell (Treasurer); John B. Holmes (Secretary); Jim Soper; Mike Waring; Melvyn Reuben Registered Office: 16 Sussex Avenue, Horsforth, Leeds, LS18 5NP web site http://lths.co.uk/, webmaster Simon Reuben

Hon. Editor: Malcolm Hindes, email [email protected] - contributions for future issues welcome Printed and published in the West Riding of Yorkshire